Boil Water Advisory Ends

The city wide boil water advisory is over.

The advisory was lifted this afternoon after water tests came back clear of any bacteria.

It has been 4 weeks since the city took the precaution due to the rash of water main breaks in the city.

Operations Manager says the action was needed as breaks caused a disruption to the entire system.

Meanwhile, the water trucks being provided daily at the Rec Centre and Keewatin Arena have been cancelled.

One Person Killed in Dryden Accident

Dryden OPP have confirmed one person has died following a two vehicle accident on the Trans-Canada Highway 17 east of Dryden.

Police says 24 year old Taylor Gardiner of Dryden died as a result.

The crash, that involved a transport and a passenger vehicle, occurred just East of Aaron Park and the Twin Towers around 8 o'clock this morning.

The highway is open to one lane of traffic.

The investigation is continuing.

Three People Arrested In Fort Drug Bust

Three people are facing charges following a drug bust at a Fort Frances home this week.

Members of the Combined Forces Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau, along with the OPP executed a search warrant at an Armit Street home Tuesday to find 555 grams of marijuana, street valued at 11 thousand dollars, and over 18 hundred dollars in cash.

Two Winnipeg residents, ages 20 and 42, and a 47-year-old Fort Frances man were arrested and are awaiting court appearances.

Canfield Applauds Appointment of New Municipal Affairs Minister

No complaints from Dave Canfield on the appointment of Bill Mauro to the Ontario cabinet.   Mauro is now the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.  

The president of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association says it can only be good for our region.

Canfield hopes it may move some NOMA concerns through a little faster at Queen's Park.

He adds it's also nice to see two cabinet ministers from northwestern Ontario at the cabinet table now, with Mauro joining his Thunder Bay counterpart Michael Gravelle.

City Already Planning for 2017 Summer Games

The deadline is still three years away, but the City of Kenora is already planning
for the arrival of the rowing events for the Canada Summer Games in 2017.

Rabbit Lake will be the venue for the rowing competition.

Kenora's Economic Development Officer Jennifer Findlay says there's lots of work to do.

Findlay says the summer games will effect a number of departments from planning, parks, tourism, and special events.

More Reaction to Energy East Project

Pushing against oil pipelines.

That was the general feeling at an Ontario Energy Board consultation in Kenora this week regarding the Energy East Project.

Tania Cameron was at the meeting and disputed that pipelines are not the only means moving oil.

Cameron disputed the safety of the project by using an example of a pipeline in the United States that saw 17 leaks occur within it's first year of operation.

Road Conditions Raised at Queen's Park

The provincial government is still refusing to say how much contractors have been fined for failing to
meet winter road maintenance standards.

In the Ontario Legislature, NDP critic Joh Vantof asked the Transportation Minister who is at fault for the
state of roads in the north this winter.

Vanto says contractors are blaming the government for a lack of funding.

Transportation Minister Glen Murray did says the government spent 10 million dollars more this year
to put 50 additional snow plows on the road.

Province Signs Ring of Fire Agreement

Step by step the government is attempting to move the negotiating process forward for the Ring of Fire.

The latest announcement is a signed deal between the province and the Mattawa First Nations which formalizes how the talks will move on a community based regional approach.

The two sides will discuss various issues relating to the giant mining process.

NDP Want Cap on ATM Fees

The federal NDP wants to put a limit on the fees we pay to use our debit cards at ATM or cash machines other than your financial institutions.

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty says limited regulation has prompted some of those fees to climb to as much as three and four dollars a transaction.

The New Democrats are proposing a cap of 50 cents per transaction.

The NDP is also seeking limit to the interest charges on credit cards.

OPP Searching For Missing Girl

The OPP are looking for a missing person.

17 year old Chantel Cameron was reported missing back on March 22nd, when she didn't return to her place of employment.

She was last seen in downtown Kenora and is still believed to be in the city.

Cameron is of aboriginal descent, about five feet, three inches tall, brown eyes and brown hair won in a bun.

At the time of her disappearance she was wearing a black coat, blue jeans and black running shoes with leopard print.

Anyone who might know of her where-abouts is asked to contact the Kenora Detachment of the OPP.

Another Colorado Low Heading Our Way

A bit more snow is heading our way.

Environment Canada Meterologist Mark Schuster says much of northwestern Ontario will be
blanketed by this time tomorrow.

He says a Colorado Low is churning our way.

While the Kenora area will only get brushed by the system with two to four centimeters, other areas to the east like Thunder Bay could see anywhere from 5 to 10 centimeters.

Pharmacy Flu Shots Increase in Popularity

It appears getting a flu shot at the local pharmacy is catching in Ontario.

More than 750-thousand people opted to get the free flu shot at a pharmacy this past season.

That's triple the number over last season when pharmacies were given approval to administer the shot.

City Hopes To Lift Boil Water Advisory Soon

It may soon be safe to drink the water.

Rick Perchuk is the city's operations manager and says crews are working to lift the over 3 week old boil water advisory.

Perchuk notes it takes about 2 days to perform the tests and get the results.

If all goes well the advisory could be lifted on Friday.

Full House For Energy East Consultations

Consultations are continuing on the Energy East Pipeline project.

Last night the Ontario Energy Board was at the Best Western Lakeside Inn for the first of 7 meetings in the province.

Consultation lead Aleck Dadson says it's just the beginning for the OEB.

Dadson says all the comments will be made into a report that they will bring back to the communities to exam and review.

The final report will be used by the Minister of Energy when they continue the process with the National Energy Board.

Sioux Narrows Budget Delayed

It could be another month before the Town of Sioux Narrows/Nestor Falls passes it's budget.

Mayor Bill Thompson says they had been making good progress, but  suggests they  need to make some last minute changes.

He says they'll review the changes at their next meeting, but probably wait to pass it
at their last meeting in April.

He says at this point, they're doing okay and isn't expecting a big increase in the mill rate this year.

Optimism About New OPP Policing Model

Kenora mayor Dave Canfield has the support of another local leader over the cost of policing.

Red Lake mayor Phil Vinet is anxious for a new Provincial Police funding model to be approved.

With a meeting planned on April 2nd, Vinet hopes they are one step closer to implementation.

Vinet says the current system doesn't provide fairness.

Mauro Named New Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing

A bit of a surprise from Queen's Park where Premier Kathleen Wynne has a new municipal affairs and housing minister by the name of Bill Mauro.  

The Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP was named as part of a government cabinet shuffle.

Mauro says he's very excited, but knows it's a huge learning curve.

Mauro replaces Linda Jeffray, who resigned yesterday to join the mayoralty race in Brampton.

New Poll Shows Concerns With Winter Road Maintenance

Research being released by the five companies under Ministry of Transportation's Winter Maintenance Program is showing that Ontarians want the government to make roads safer.

The survey, conducted by Ipsos Reid from March 3rd to 7th shows that the majority of 1,500 Ontario drivers feel the government should increase spending on highway maintenance.

The study also shows that Ontarians find roads to be in worse conditions than they were 3 years ago by a  2-to-1 margin, and by a 3-to-1 margin in Northern Ontario.

The Ontario Road Builders Association continues to meet with government officials to resolve the road safety issues.

Student Taken to Hospital Following School Bus Collision

Icy road conditions are believed to be partly responsible for an accident this morning involving a school bus.

The Northwest Student Services Consortium confirms bus KN-13 was involved in a collision with another vehicle on Austin Lake Road this morning just before 8:00.

Other than the bus driver, there was only one other person on board at the time, and the parents took the
student to Lake of the Woods District Hospital as a precaution.

The driver of the school bus was not injured, though both vehicles did sustain some damage.

City Talking to Province About Funding to Repair Broke Water Lines

The provincial government is being asked to provide some financial assistance to the City of Kenora as it deals with an epidemic of broke water lines.

Mayor Dave Canfield says he's met with government officials in recent weeks asking for help.

He's had discussions about the situation with the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Linda Jeffrey,  and says she's been very supportive so far.

The city is worried that it might have to eat into it's capital budget to repair broke water lines if it can't get any additional financial assistance from the federal or provincial levels of government.